Vehicle-gearing.



J. J. GHARLEY. VEHICLE GEARING.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 13, 1909.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. J. GHARLEY.

VEHICLE GBARING.

APPLICATION FILED APB.13, 1909.

Patented Aug". 16,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

witmeaoeo JOHN JOSEPH CHARLEY, OF KEW, VICTORIA; AUSTRALIA.

VEHICLE-(HEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.

Application filed April 13, 1909. Serial N0. 489,737.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JOSEPH CHARLEY, a subject of the King of Great Britain. and Ireland, &c., residing at Kew, inthe State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Gearing; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is very suitable for heavy passenger and freight tratlic; for rough roads, cross-country journeys, and travel over comparatively loose ground, over which ordinary automobiles would not pass.

The invention relates to improvements in running gear of motor road vehicles including traction engines, auton'iobiles, and so forth, rendering the use of pneumatic tires unnecessary, and improving their adhesion on the road, and consequently their tractive power. By its application of resilient devices between the road wheels and the chassis frame or body, it reducesvibration and shocks, and thus lessens maintenance charges, while allowing scope for the adoption of larger wheels than are practicable when pneumatic tires are used.

Instead of a four wheeled running gear, there are four pairs, each in tandem, that is eight wheels, each of which may receive power from an engine, or one. of a set of engines. Thus two transverse shafts may each be supplied with compensating or differential ear, transmitting power to the road wheels, there being any suitable change speed gear which will be driven by the engine or power provided. ()r four wheels are engine driven, and the other wheels are free. When one set of engines is employed driving connection with the other set of four wheels.

The destructive shocks apt to be experienced when motoring on uneven roads are minimized by my construction, which in-' eludes for each tandem pair of road wheels a rocker with arms against the ends of which springs abut, between the arm ends and pivoted arms, each of which carries a driving shaft which turns a road wheel. The weights of the frame and vehicle load are distributed thus on four rockers and, four pairs of springs, in -addition to the body springs when the latter are used.

For steering purposes I provide devices which enable sharp curves to be turned in safety, and rapidly. To each road wheel I provide connections which allow each said wheel its appropriate turning movements. When the car is to travel in a curve and the front four wheels turn to the left, for example, the rear four will turn to the right in order to travel in the curve accordingly. The two fore wheels of the front four, also the two hind wheels of the rear four, may be caused to suitably change their planes relatively to the other two wheels of each set of four wheels, when the car is changing its direction. This steering is effected (and skidding is reduced) by'the use of levers, one 80 to each road wheel, as more fully described hereinafter.

By the aid of'the accompanying drawings the above and other features of the invention will be explained in detail; but there may obviously be some variations in the number, the proportions, and the designs of parts within the scope of my devices.

Figures 1 and 2 are plans showing chiefly tandem wheels and adjacent parts, a portion of Fig. 2 being in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in vertical section showing also tandem wheels and adjacent parts. Fig. 4. is an elevation in transverse vertical section on line X Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrams in side elevation and plan view, respectively, to illustrate steering devices, most other parts of the mechanism being omitted from these views. Fig. 7 is a detached detail plan View of the steer- 100 'violent and sudden than others.

Shaft 23 is a horizontal projection at right, angles to the short axle 21,Figs.

2 and 3,which is supported within sleeve 7 of the road wheel, and integral with the same-axle is a vertical tubular standard or sleeve 25 adapted to turn on which is wheel 8, 8 2% is a pivot bolt through sleeve 25. Thus parts 23, 21, and 25 are integral, and can swing on bolt 24, a dust casing 37 inclosing' parts 24 and 25.

It willnow be seen that not only will action of shaft H 've positive movement to each road wheel y reason of the comiections, joints, and pivots set forth, but that each road wheel is nevertheless able to yield or rise on meeting with a road inequality.

It is to be understood that in some cases such parts of my construction as will serve desired purposes may be used without using the whole.

By reason of the pivotal arrangements described no shocks given to any one of the road wheels by track inequalities can be fully transmitted to the frame F.

The pivoting of parts A A by their brackets or connections at a point intermediate of the tandem wheels insures that any shock to one of these wheels .causing it to rise shall be at once mitigated; it does not pass in full' to the other wheel of the tandem pair because any one shaft 11 can move pivotall independently of its neighboring shaft. Ihe rocker further breaks the vibration or shock and then there is such furtherbreak as the body spring produces before frame F is affected.

The jolts and vibrations of road travel vary considerably, some being much less With the less violent changes the combination of the tandem wheels in Fig. 3, the rocker, the springs 30, and arms A A may have an oscillating or see-saw motion on the pivots 35, and 22 practically as if a solid body were so Ipivoted.

-t will be obvious that parts of my device which deaden road shocks and lessen vibration of the frame, are usable without the driving mechanism or toothed gearing de scribed; as the vehicle may be drawn along by another. It is obvious that the increase of road adhesion, by reason of the large number of road wheels used, is gained by simple means, without great increase of Wei ht.

at I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Inrunning gear for wheeled vehicles, the combination of vertically movable wheelsupporting members and means for controllingtheir upward movement, wheels pivotallymounted on said wheel-supporting members to swing laterally thereof, and levers mounted to swing vertically and inlower en directly connected to said wheels, substantially as described.

2. In a runnin gear for wheeled vehicles, the combination of a framework, lever members connected to said framework and mounted to swing laterally and vertically, a vertical shaft connected to the free end of each of said lever members, short lateral axles connected to said vertical shafts, wheels on said short axles, means controlling the vertical swing of said lever members, and steering connections controlling their lateral swing, substantially as described.

3'. In a running gear for wheeled vehicles, the combination of a framework, an extensible lever member at each side of said framework and mounted to swing vertically and laterally, said lever members being provided at their free ends with vertical shafts, short axles connected to said vertical shafts, steering wheels on said short axles, traction wheels carried by said framework and said steering wheels also function as driving wheels and are free to move in vertical planes and swing laterally on the line of their vertical axes, substantially as described.

at. In running gear for wheeled Vehicles, the combination of vertically movable wheel-supporting members and means for controlling their upward movement, a vertical sleeve carried by each of said wheelsupporti'n members and provided at its (5? with a short projecting lateral axle and a horizontal pro ecting rod, a vertical rod carried by each of said wheel-supporting members extending through said vertical sleeve and forming an axis around which said short axle and horizontal rod rotate, a sleeve telescoping on each of said horizontal rods, road wheels, a plurality of which are mounted on said short axles, a: plurality of levers mounted to swing vertically and laterally, steering connections controlling the lateral swinging of said levers and hinged connections between the free ends of said levers and said horizontal sleeves, substantially as described.

5. In running gear for wheeled vehicles, the combination of horizontally swinging castings, steering rods connected to said castings, a steering lever pivotally mounted v connected to said steering wheels, whereby ibil to said castings,.vertica1ly swinging levers tween said arms and the supports for said pivoted to said castings, connections be Wheels, substantially as described. 10 tween the free ends of said levers and said In witness whereof I have hereunto set my laterally swinging wheels, said connections hand in the presence of two witnesses.

being provided with a hinge joint, a rocker. JOHN JOSEPH CHARLEY. member pivotally supported on said shaft Witnesses: and provided with arms extending above GEORGE G. TURRI,

said wheels, and coiled springs disposed be- Bm'rmoa Lows. 

